Program Goals and Objectives

Page Content

Paralegal Department Goals and
Activities 2012-14

1. To be recognized in the local
legal community as an institution that produces graduates of a high caliber in
their paralegal education enabling them to be capable and prepared to enter the
job market with the ability to complete the tasks assigned to a paralegal.

2. To provide the paralegal
students with a quality legal education that provides them with an ethical
foundation, applied skills, proficiency and the ability needed to perform tasks
competently and succeed in their paralegal career.

SLO
assessment and revisions.

Curriculum
and Program Review.

Reconfigure
A 130 to accommodate the learning environment appropriate for seminars and
group learning activities.

3. The Santa Ana College
paralegal graduate shall be able to perform many tasks normally handled by an
attorney, such as preparing and understanding needed forms and pleadings,
interviewing clients and witnesses, legal research and document preparation and
organization.

Seek
input from advisory committee on program curriculum to stay current with
the local job market requirements.

4. To educate, and network with,
attorneys on the advantages associated with the employment of paralegals in
their practice.

Require
the students in the Para 298 Professional Paralegal class to attend
networking opportunities such as the OCPA and Orange County Bar
Association meetings.

Expand
placement of internship students.

Inform
the legal community through the OCPA, advisory committee.

Maintain
social media contacts such as Facebook and LinkedIn.

Update
marketing materials such as the brochure and the department web page.

Send
out a seasons greeting card to the legal community.

Expand
internship opportunities with Public Sector employers.

Host
the OCPA job conference.

5. To provide state-of-the art
computer literacy skills to the students by training students in the use of
varied computer programs available to the legal practitioner.

Research
online research alternatives.

6. To ensure and maintain the
high quality of teaching.

SLO
and curriculum/program reviews.

AAFPE
meetings.

LOWDL
meetings.

Attend
the Annual State Bar meeting and CLE opportunities.

Attend
the Distance Education Advisory Workforce meetings.

Attend
the SACTAC meetings (College Technical Advisory Committee)

7. To continue to assess and
respond to the needs of the local legal community.

Expand
membership of the Industry and Community Advisory Committee.

Hold
minimum of two Advisory Committee meetings per year.

Survey
members of the committee and of the legal profession.

8. To ensure that students are current
in all areas of study, as well as keeping abreast of the growing trend for
legal specialization areas in which paralegals are employed

Continue
program review, SLO assessment.

Survey
members of the committee and of the legal profession.

Attend
the Annual State Bar meeting and CLE opportunities.

9. To maintain relationships with
the Orange County Bar Association, local and national paralegal associations
like NFPA, NALA, Orange County Paralegal Association, Los Angeles Paralegal
Association and AAFPE.

Maintain
membership in the AAFPE, the California State Bar and the OCPLA.

Students
are required as part of course work in Para 298 “The Professional
Paralegal” to attend networking activities with these organizations.

10. To meet and exceed the high
standards set by the ABA for the education and training of paralegals.

Conduct
the ABA self-study and reapproval application and submit it to the ABA by
December 2013.

11. To continue to maintain
contacts and presence in the local legal community for the employment of our
paralegal program undergraduates and graduates.

Expand
the internship opportunities with the Public Sector Employers.

Host
the OCPA job conference.

12. To continue to work with
other departments in the college to develop new legal specialties appropriate
for cross listing.

Maintain
the Para/CJ 107 “Criminal Procedure” class.

Include
Bus 105 “The Legal Environment of Business” as a requirement for the
program.

13. To maintain and expand our
library resources, acquisitions and on-line access for the paralegal students
to have access to, and hands-on familiarity with contemporary legal materials,
resources, cases and codes relevant to the research and practice of law in
California.

Complete
and maintain the legal collection for A 130 (Paralegal Legal Resource
Classroom).

Maintain
the legal collection in the College Library.

Expand
contacts with area law schools for access to their resources.

Reconfigure
A 130 to accommodate the learning environment appropriate for seminars and
group learning activities and to properly house and make available the
legal resource materials.

2012-2014
Goals and Activities.

GOAL

ACTIVITY

PROGRESS

Strengthening the academic, career, and
technical skills of students through the integration of technology into the
curriculum.

Purchase of laptops
computers to be used in the classroom for writing skills and mastery of
software for specific legal applications.

completed

Link the program at the
secondary and the postsecondary levels.

Participation in Jr day activities.

Attended Jr. Day.

Provide students with
strong experience in and understanding of all aspects of the legal profession
through internships and work experience.

Work with the Orange County Superior Court to
provide participants in the intern program.

Committee member Superior Court Judge Biggs has
contacted the director of the intern program.Professor Manzano has contacted the director of the program.

Provide students with
strong experience in and understanding of all aspects of the legal profession
through internships and work experience.

Create intern opportunities with the Legal Aid
Society of Orange County

Intern positions in place Spring and Fall
2013.Intern positions in place of
Spring 2013.

Provide students with strong experience in and
understanding of all aspects of the legal profession through internships and
work experience.

Contact area employers and graduates who have
indicated an interest in an intern program

E-mails to members of the OC Bar.

Additional positions added in Fall 2013.

Provide career guidance information to undecided
students.

Presentations at the career center.

Spring 2013 and Fall 2013 presentations through
the career center at SAC.

Adjunct faculty shall remain current in
educational and technical issues.

Provide in service to adjunct faculty.

In-service activities provided at Fall 2012,
Spring and Fall 2013 on the use of Blackboard in the classroom.Distance Education office mandatory
Blackboard training attended by all adjunct faculty.

Evaluate the effectiveness of the program.

Complete the College wide/departmental portfolio
evaluation.

Completed 2012 review process, submitted to
Bonnie Jaros

Evaluate the effectiveness of the program

Review Curriculum

Completed.2013 catalog reflects changes in the program.

Evaluate the effectiveness of the program

Add Para 297 capstone with assessment gathering
activities.

Activities added to the Para 297 class.Review of data gathered in Spring and Fall
2013 to be evaluated in January 2014 department meeting.

Provide ties to the community and the legal
profession with the program.

Appoint members to the committee who are not
affiliated with the college.

Completed.Program continues to seek additional community members.

Provide ties to the community and the legal
profession with the program.

Meet with the committee at least 2 times per
year.

Have met two times per year. This is an ongoing
activity

Provide for evaluation and review from graduates,
employers, students, advisory committee, faculty, school administrators and
the legal community.

Reconstitute the advisory committee to include
graduates, employers, students, advisory committee, faculty, school
administrators and the legal community.

Completed.

Provide for evaluation and review from students
in addition to the ongoing student satisfaction surveys conducted college
wide.

Student survey incorporated into paralegal
Blackboard classes.

In addition to the student evaluations conducted
as part of the HR process, student evaluations are in place in Para 101, 121
and 297.Data will be evaluated in the
January 2014 department meeti

Create a rational sequence of legal specialty
courses.

Add 100 has a perquisite to all courses and add
prerequisites to 143 and 144

Completed: Civil Litigation Para 143 and 144 has
been combined into one course Para 145.Para 130 Legal Transactions, Para 136 Real Property and Para 138
Business Organizations combined. Para 131 Alternate Dispute Resolution and
Para 137 Torts combined into Para 146 Torts and ADR. Para 246 is a
prerequisite to the Advanced Research class Para 248. The capstone class has
as a prerequisite Para 100, 101, 120, 121, 246, and either Bus 101 or 105 or
all of the following: Para 107,130,131,136,137, and 138.

Create tools for students to have skills for job
interview.

Post career center workshops on interviews and
resumes.

Conduct workshops in Para 100 class.

Posted in hall and on department web site.Student survey includes questions on the
career center and OCPLA job web site and student section.Workshops are conducted each semester in
the career center.

Create tools for students to have skills for job
interview.

Host the Orange County Paralegal Association
workshops.

Ongoing sponsorship of the OCPA Job workshop.

Inform students of information available on
department web site.

Student survey includes information on the
department web site.

Assignment in Para 100 class.

Assignment in Para 297.

Student survey includes questions on the career
center and OCPLA job web site and student section.

Assignments included in the class activities,
ongoing

To be recognized in the local legal community as
an institution that produces graduates of a high caliber in their paralegal education
enabling them to be capable and prepared to enter the job market with the
ability to complete the tasks assigned to a paralegal.

Track graduates and
certificate recipients for success.

Ongoing, completed 2010-2013.

To be recognized in the local legal community as
an institution that produces graduates of a high caliber in their paralegal
education enabling them to be capable and prepared to enter the job market
with the ability to complete the tasks assigned to a paralegal.

To provide the paralegal students with a quality
legal education that provides them with an ethical foundation, applied
skills, proficiency and the ability needed to perform tasks competently and
succeed in their paralegal career.

SLO assessment and
revisions.

Current through Spring 2013.Scheduled for Spring 2014.

To provide the paralegal students with a quality
legal education that provides them with an ethical foundation, applied
skills, proficiency and the ability needed to perform tasks competently and
succeed in their paralegal career.

To provide the paralegal students with a quality
legal education that provides them with an ethical foundation, applied
skills, proficiency and the ability needed to perform tasks competently and
succeed in their paralegal career.

Reconfigure
A 130 to accommodate the learning environment appropriate for seminars and
group learning activities.

Included in Division goals for consideration by
College Council.

The Santa Ana College paralegal graduate shall be
able to perform many tasks normally handled by an attorney, such as preparing
and understanding needed forms and pleadings, interviewing clients and
witnesses, legal research and document preparation and organization.

Seek input from advisory
committee on program curriculum to stay current with the local job market
requirements.

The Santa Ana College paralegal graduate shall be
able to perform many tasks normally handled by an attorney, such as preparing
and understanding needed forms and pleadings, interviewing clients and
witnesses, legal research and document preparation and organization.

The Santa Ana College paralegal graduate shall be
able to perform many tasks normally handled by an attorney, such as preparing
and understanding needed forms and pleadings, interviewing clients and
witnesses, legal research and document preparation and organization.

Explore virtual law
office activities.

Scheduled for Spring 2014.

To educate, and network with, attorneys on the
advantages associated with the employment of paralegals in their practice.

Require the students in
the Para 297 Professional Paralegal class to attend networking opportunities
such as the OCPA and Orange County Bar Association meetings

Included in the class activities for as of Spring
2013.

To
educate, and network with, attorneys on the advantages associated with the
employment of paralegals in their practice.

Expand placement of
internship students.

Ongoing.Opportunities with the Legal Aid Society of Orange County and
additional sites have been implemented as of Fall 2013.

To
educate, and network with, attorneys on the advantages associated with the
employment of paralegals in their practice.

Inform the legal
community through the OCPA, advisory committee.

Ongoing.Para 297 students required to attend legal community networking
activities.Both full time faculty are
members of the OCPA.

To
educate, and network with, attorneys on the advantages associated with the
employment of paralegals in their practice.

Maintain social media
contacts such as Facebook and LinkedIn.

Ongoing

To
educate, and network with, attorneys on the advantages associated with the
employment of paralegals in their practice.

Update marketing
materials such as the brochure and the department web page.

Brochure updated and printed Fall 2013.Web site ongoing activity.

To
educate, and network with, attorneys on the advantages associated with the
employment of paralegals in their practice.

Send out a seasons
greeting card to the legal community

To
educate, and network with, attorneys on the advantages associated with the
employment of paralegals in their practice.

Expand internship
opportunities with Public Sector employers

To educate, and network with, attorneys on the
advantages associated with the employment of paralegals in their practice.

Host the OCPA job
conference.

Completed Spring and Fall 2013.

To provide state-of-the art computer literacy
skills to the students by training students in the use of varied computer
programs available to the legal practitioner.

Research online research
alternatives.

Data has been collected, scheduled Spring 2014
for review and further data collection.

To ensure and maintain the high quality of
teaching.

SLO and
curriculum/program reviews.

Ongoing.Data has been collected.Evaluation of data scheduled for Spring 2014.

To ensure and maintain
the high quality of teaching.

AAFPE meetings.

LOWDL meetings.

Attend the Annual State Bar meeting and CLE opportunities.

Attend the Distance Education Advisory Workforce meetings.

Attend the SACTAC meetings (College Technical Advisory Committee)

Ongoing. Both full time faculty attended
conference in Anaheim. Business
Division Dean and the Distance Education Dean attend LOWDL.

To continue to assess and respond to the needs of
the local legal community

Expand membership of the
Industry and Community Advisory Committee.

New members have been added to the
committee.Members who have not
participated have been removed.Ongoing recruitment for an expanded committee.

To continue to assess and respond to the needs of
the local legal community

Hold minimum of two Advisory Committee meetings per year.

Survey members of the committee and of the legal profession.

Ongoing.

To ensure that students are current in all areas
of study, as well as keeping abreast of the growing trend for legal
specialization areas in which paralegals are employed.

Continue program review,
SLO assessment.

Ongoing.Data collection in Fall 2013 and assessment of SLO and Program SLOs
scheduled for Spring 2014.

To ensure that students
are current in all areas of study, as well as keeping abreast of the growing
trend for legal specialization areas in which paralegals are employed.

Survey members of the committee and of the legal profession.

Attend the Annual State Bar meeting and CLE opportunities.

Scheduled for Spring 2014.Ongoing CLE compliance with State Bar
regulations in progress.

To maintain relationships with the Orange County
Bar Association, local and national paralegal associations like NFPA, NALA,
Orange County Paralegal Association, Los Angeles Paralegal Association and
AAFPE.

Maintain membership in
the AAFPE, the California State Bar and the OCPLA.

Current.

To maintain relationships with the Orange County
Bar Association, local and national paralegal associations like NFPA, NALA,
Orange County Paralegal Association, Los Angeles Paralegal Association and
AAFPE.

Students are required as
part of course work in Para 298 “The Professional Paralegal” to attend
networking activities with these organizations

Students are required in the Para 297 course to
participate as a graded activity and to discuss on a discussion board
networking activities with these and other legal professional organizations.

To meet and exceed the high standards set by the
ABA for the education and training of paralegals.

Conduct the ABA
self-study and reapproval application and submit it to the ABA by December
2013.

In progress.To be completed by Dec 15, 2013.

To continue to maintain contacts and presence in
the local legal community for the employment of our paralegal program
undergraduates and graduates.

Expand the internship
opportunities with the Public Sector Employers.

Ongoing intern opportunities have been created
with the Legal Aid Society of Orange County.

To continue to maintain contacts and presence in
the local legal community for the employment of our paralegal program
undergraduates and graduates.

Host the OCPA job
conference.

Hosted in 2012 and 2013.Planned for Spring 2014.

To
continue to work with other departments in the college to develop new legal
specialties appropriate for cross listing.

Maintain the Para/CJ 107
“Criminal Procedure” class.

Ongoing.

To
continue to work with other departments in the college to develop new legal
specialties appropriate for cross listing.

Include Bus 105 “The Legal Environment of Business” as a
requirement for the program.

Curriculum for the program has been changed to
include the Bus 105 Legal Environment of Business as a required course.

To
maintain and expand our library resources, acquisitions and on-line access
for the paralegal students to have access to, and hands-on familiarity with
contemporary legal materials, resources, cases and codes relevant to the
research and practice of law in California.

Complete and maintain the
legal collection for A 130 (Paralegal Legal Resource Classroom).

To
maintain and expand our library resources, acquisitions and on-line access
for the paralegal students to have access to, and hands-on familiarity with
contemporary legal materials, resources, cases and codes relevant to the
research and practice of law in California.

Expand
contacts with area law schools for access to their resources.

Scheduled for Spring 2014

To
maintain and expand our library resources, acquisitions and on-line access
for the paralegal students to have access to, and hands-on familiarity with
contemporary legal materials, resources, cases and codes relevant to the
research and practice of law in California.

Reconfigure
A 130 to accommodate the learning environment appropriate for seminars
and group learning activities and to properly house and make available
the legal resource materials.

Included in Department and Division goals.Discussion with President Martinez for
consideration in ongoing college improvements.